Vulnerable
by AnnoedFaceless
Summary: What if there was another family member who was never mentioned in the movie? Sadie the raccoon is shy and kind, but when RJ comes, will he be able to pull her out of her shell, or will he leave her even more vulnerable than she was before? (Takes place during the movie, title may change.)
1. Chapter 1

Title may change. I can't think of a better one. Anyway, enjoy! C:

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Sadie yawned when she heard Verne's voice from outside of the log. A moment later, everyone rushed out of the log like they were on fire. Sadie however, slowly got up and shook the leaves off herself. She knew that Stella was only helping Verne get everybody up. She padded out and into the sunlight with a smile. Her silver body glimmered lightly and she watched as everyone happily talked for the first time in months. She headed over to Heather and Ozzie, two animals who favored her company.

"Morning!" Heather greeted her with a smile.

"Morning, you two." Sadie replied and popped her neck.

"Really is nice outside." Ozzie crossed his arms behind his back. "A little chilly, but crisp and fresh!"

"I agree." She laughed and shook off some dew from her fur. Suddenly, Hammy ran over to them and his eyes were big.

"Where's the food?" He asked. "Is there any left? I'm hungry, so is there any left?"

"We ate all the food, Hammy, during the winter." Heather told him in a parent-like voice. "So we gotta go get some more now."

"Oh, RIGHT!" He jumped up. "I buried some nuts in the woods and I know where they are, so I'll be right back! Bye!"

"Where he gets all of that energy, we will never know." Sadie scratched the back of her head and Ozzie nodded. Suddenly, a little patch of snow came off the branch and hit him in the head. He groaned and toppled over. The porcupine triplets, to Heather's dismay, started mocking him and giggling. She let out a nervous giggle herself and then leaned over her father.

"Dad, it was just snow." She muttered.

"But it could have been a predator!" He replied and stood up.

"Isn't playing dead a little...weak?" She asked and tilted her head. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders.

"Heather," He said sternly. "How many times must I say it? Playing possum is what we do. We die so that we live!"

"I bet you'll have to do it sometime when you're older." Sadie smiled and one of her ears went flat. "It's just what possums do. It's completely natural!"

"Your ear..." Heather giggled and covered her face to muffle the noise. Sadie reached up and fixed her flattened ear so that it would stay up. She smiled with embarrassment as it fell over again. Suddenly, a throat clearing from Verne made them all turn. He was holding some grapes.

"Well, I think you know what this means." He gestured to the berries just as Hammy zoomed back to them.

"Verne!" He yelped.

"Just a minute, Hammy." He said before continuing on with his speech. "This means we were nine berries away from starvation."

"Oh!" Sadie gasped with the others, her eyes widening slightly.

"Oops, that was really intense." Verne frowned for a moment. "I meant really bad hunger pains."

"Verne!" Hammy yelled and then covered his mouth.

"Not finished yet, Hammy." He scolded and then passed out the berries. "So, what I want to tell you all is-"

"Verne!" Hammy let another time slip and Verne rounded on him.

"I'm not done yet, Hammy!" He groaned. "If you have to go again, just go! Okay, so all I'm saying is that we cut it a little close. So this year, we need to make sure we fill the log..."

"All the way to the top!" Ozzie finished and Verne nodded.

"Exactly!" He smiled. "Because what are we?"

"Foragers!" Everyone cried.

"What do we forage?" He asked.

"Food!" They cheered.

"Okay Hammy." Verne and the others turned to the squirrel. "What is it?

"What is what?" He tilted his head, seemingly confused.

"What is it you want to tell me?" He asked and then Hammy jumped.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "What was it? What was it? What was it? Right on the tip of my tongue...Oh yeah! There's a weird thing over there that I've never seen before! It's really scary! Follow me!"

"Um..." Sadie tilted her head as the squirrel rushed off.

"Okay," Verne chuckled. "Meeting called on account of the 'weird scary thing'."

They all walked after Hammy, honestly going as slow as possible. Most of the time, Hammy was scared of everything. It was a totally normal day if he scared himself on accident. As he came into view, something else did as well. Sadie stood beside Heather and Ozzie with frightened eyes.

"Alright, what weird..." Verne looked up at the plant that towered before them. "Oh. That weird thing."

"What is it?" Heather reached out for it, but her dad slapped her hand away.

"I'm scared..." One of the possum children whined.

"Me too, momma." Another one whimpered.

"It's okay, it's just a..." Penny drew a blank. "What is this thing, Lou?"

"I...well..." He stammered. "It's...it's a...Verne?"

"Well, it looks like some kind of bush." He said.

"I'd be a lot less afraid of it if I just knew what it was called!" Penny sighed irritably.

"Let's call it 'Steve'!" Hammy suggested.

"Steve?" Verne asked.

"Steve sounds nice." Heather nodded.

"I'm a lot less afraid of Steve." Penny smiled.

"Oh great and powerful Steve!" Ozzie leaped onto his knees and Sadie rolled her eyes. "What do you want?!"

"I don't think it can speak." Verne commented.

"I heard that young man!" A voice from the other side of the bush made them yell in surprise. "You get over here right now!"

"Okay..." Hammy sighed and trudged towards the bush. Verne pulled him back.

"Hammy, no!" He scolded.

"But Steve is angry!" Hammy whined.

"I think the voice came from the other side of Steve." He said. "I mean the bush! I mean...jeez! There's only one way we're gonna find out what this thing is and what this is all about. I'm gonna go and check it out."

"Be careful..." Sadie warned as the group followed him step by step. Suddenly, he stopped moving and they collided with him. He turned and yelped which made them let out a shriek.

"Ay yi yi!" He rolled his eyes and turned. As he tried to walk, his foot caught a root and he went flying into the bush.

"Steve ate Verne!" Ozzie cried in fright.

"Alright Steve." Stella began to turn around. "You brought this on yourself!"

"No Stella!" Verne cried from inside the bush. "I'm not eaten! I just tripped! I'm gonna go over there, so don't anybody move."

"I hope he comes back okay..." Sadie said softly and Heather nodded.

"Well, if it's just a bush like Verne says," Penny. "He should be alright, there."

"Yeah." The others agreed softly.

Heather leaned into Sadie and she smiled. Ever since they first met, Sadie was like an older sister to the young possum. She taught her about boys and they played in the mud. They had a great time when they were younger, and that hadn't ended when they got older. To break her thoughts, Verne suddenly came flying through the bushes at top speed. They all fretted and rushed over to aid their friend.

"There were these freaky pink primates!" Verne gasped. "They must have come while we were hibernating! It was awful! They had wheels on their feet and these sticks...they whacked me around like I was some sort of sick game!"

"You should have died." Ozzie scolded. "You should have laid down, and died!"

"Dad." Heather rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't the worst part." Verne got up. "Half the forest is gone! The oak trees...the berry bushes...they're just...gone."

"What are we gonna do for food?" Stella asked and they all turned to Verne.

"I..." He began and then sighed. "I don't know. But what I do know, is that we will all be fine as long as no one goes over Steve again."

"It's called a 'hedge'!" Someone yelled and they turned towards the source of the noise. "It is not to be feared, my amphibious friend. It is the gateway to the good life."

"I'm a reptile, actually." Verne responded, sounding less than happy. "But you know, it's a common mistake. You are?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" The voice chuckled and out of a tree came a raccoon. "I'm RJ. Now please don't think I'm prying, but I couldn't help overhearing and I think I can shed some light on what this whole hedge situation is about."

He began to toss things out of a bag. Sadie caught a reflective disc in her hand and looked at it. Heather was holding a silver device, but glanced over to see what Sadie got. Murmurs rippled through the gang and Sadie caught a glimpse of her reflection in the back. Her light silver body with dark gray flecks and markings. Her one blue eye covered by an extra bit of hair, her brown eye visible.

"You see," She turned her attention to RJ, who was now holding a map. "What was once mere wilderness, is now fifty-four acres of man-made, manicured, air-conditioned paradise. Except for that little bitty speck. You are here."

"Oh no!" Sadie gasped.

"No, that's a good thing." He smiled at her. "You're hibernators, right? Gather up food and store it for the winter?"

"Yup!" Hammy chirped. "We fill the log!"

"Hammy!" Verne snapped.

"Really?" RJ snagged the object in Hammy's hands and extended something out of it. "This log? This, cave-like log?"

"All the way to the top." Ozzie said proudly.

"Ozzie!" Verne cried out. He was obviously irritated with the raccoon.

"Lemme ask you, how long does it take?" RJ asked as she walked into it. "To fill the log."

"Two hundred and seventy-four days." Heather responded as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Ooh!" RJ popped out. "Ever done it in a week?"

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So there you have it! The first chapter! If you like it, consider adding it to your favorites and writing a review. :)


	2. Chapter 2

_"Ooh!" RJ popped up. "Ever done it in a week?"_

"That's impossible." Verne replied with a irritable laugh.

"Not if we work together!" RJ smirked. "You've got the food gathering skills, I've got the know-how, and they have the food!"

"How much food?" Sadie asked, excitement rising in the pit of her stomach.

"Loads of food!" He cried. "Heaps of food! Food out the wazoo!"

"Well, whatever kind of food comes from a wazoo, I don't think we're interested in eating." Verne retorted.

"I'm okay with wazoo food, there." Penny said. She wore a pair of pink things on her face and Verne removed them.

"No, you're not." He said. "The tail is tingling."

"The what is what?" RJ asked with a very confused expression.

"Whenever something doesn't feel right, my tail tingles." Verne explained. "All the things you've said so far is driving my tail crazy."

"Listen, Verne, right?" RJ said and gestured towards the hedge. "This isn't something to be afraid of!"

"Well, I am!" Verne turned around to show a black stripe on his shell. "And for good reason!"

"That's because you went over there without a guide, Verne!" RJ pulled a long, white stick out of his bag and cleaned the mark off.

"Whatever!" Verne rolled his eyes. "Thanks for stopping by! We're not interested!"

"Not interested in the most delicious food you have ever tasted?" RJ asked and Sadie's ears perked. Food did sound pretty good at the moment.

"No!" Verne exclaimed. RJ tried to continued but Verne cut him off. "Not interested!"

"Okay...alright." RJ walked towards his bag and pulled another tiny bag out. "This is just something you're not...open to."

When he ripped open the bag, a wave of orange hit them. They all toppled over and Sadie licked her paw. It tasted incredible! She shook herself free of the remaining powder and smiled at RJ. He really knew his stuff, and boy was she glad. Her stomach began to rumble even more.

"What is that?!" Hammy asked excitedly.

"That, my friend," He announced. "Is a magical combination of corn flower, dehydrated cheese solids, BHA, BHT and good old MSG. Aka, the chip. Nacho cheese flavored."

The handed them out to the animals and almost greedily, they ate them. Sadie and Heather both grinned and shoved one into their mouths. Sadie moaned at the taste. It was even better on the chip! She caught RJ smirking at her and she shyly smiled back. Verne still didn't seem very impressed.

"Yeah, Verne!" Stella cried. "Those were good!"

"It's all good and we're going over there tonight!" RJ tossed the remaining chips into the air.

When night fell, they all made their way pass the hedge. Sadie and Heather looked around, awed by how large everything was. Suddenly, some pretty lights flipped on and rows of fountains sprayed into the air. Sadie smiled when she felt the misty water come down and touch her. Heather smiled as a little frog ornament sprayed water in a thick stream. Everyone seemed to be very pleased with their surroundings. Lou walked over to Verne just as Sadie turned around.

"Hey, Verne." He said. "I took some clippings out of my quills to do a little comparison. Look at this. The grass seems to be greener over here."

"Are you certain you came to the same place?" Ozzie tilted his head.

"Yeah, cause the raccoon says-" Stella began.

"Alright, enough about him!" Verne exclaimed. "So, he can do a couple of tricks! It's not like he can walk on water."

"This way to the food!" Sadie turned when she heard RJ's voice. He was leaping across the water on some pads. She followed the excited group to the food. They walked in front of a huge, black thing.

"What is this?" Sadie asked.

"This is an SUV." RJ explained. "Humans ride around in it because they are slowly loosing their ability to walk."

"How many humans fit in there?" Lou asked.

"Normally...one." RJ said. Suddenly, a very high and aggravating voice pierced the air. The leaped behind some bushes to see a large, pink primate appear.

"Hi, this is Gladys Sharp." It spoke. "Your president? Of the homeowner's association? Right!"

"Jeepers!" Penny gasped.

"It's so big!" Sadie whined.

"Easy, easy!" RJ soothed. "That is a human being. They are just as afraid of us as we are them. Now, if one does happen to see you, lay down and give your privates a good licking. They love it!"

"The charter," The voice began again. "Which you signed, says that your grass has to be two inches. My measuring stick says yours is two point five!"

"Can we just get the food and go?" Verne asked. "Really, do they have it, or not?"

"Did you see the box?" RJ smiled. "It had food in it. They always have food with them! We eat to live, these guys live to eat! Let me explain."

As he went around and pointed things out, Sadie couldn't help but watch RJ. For a male raccoon, he was pretty attractive. He wasn't a dark gray, but more of a brownish color. He had bright blue eyes and a lean build. Heather nudged Sadie with her elbow and gave her friend a joking smirk. Sadie rolled her eyes and both of her ears flattened.

"And what do they do with the stuff they don't eat?" RJ leaped onto some bins. "They put it in silver, gleaming cans...just for us. Dig in!"

After he kicked over the cans. Everyone scrambled around for food. Sadie grabbed a stick and pulled out something that was blue. She tilted her head and stuck it in her mouth. It tasted like sour raspberries, but it was a good sour! She continued to suck on it happily and eventually searched for something else to eat.

"Here!" Heather handed her something in a triangle shape. "Try this. It's super good!"

"That's amazing!" She cried after taking a bite.

"So, what do you think?" RJ asked them and they looked towards him. "Was I right, or was I right? And these things are just scraps! Wait 'till you see what's in the boxes and the packages and the cans! I'm telling you, stick with me and in a week we'll have enough food to...to feed a bear!"

"What?" Sadie gave him a frightened expression.

"It's a figure of speech." RJ replied quickly, and they turned to the sound of something moving.

"Halt!" It was a very startled white and black cat. "Intruders! Intruders! Get away, all of you!"

"What is it baby-" The human came out again and then shrieked at the sight of them. Every animal besides Sadie began to roll over.

"What are you doing?" RJ asked them.

"Well you said that we should lick our-" Lou began.

"Scratch that!" RJ said, beyond scared. "Run!"

Then, the chaos began. The lady grabbed something long and began to assault them. Sadie scrambled after her friends, but saw the lady almost hit Heather. The second time, Sadie shoved her friend aside and was hit straight on the back with the broom. She cried out in pain and bolted after them. When they got through the hedge, everyone made sure that their friends and family members were alright. Sadie wobbled over to Heather.

"Are you okay, Heather?" She asked, panting.

"Oh my God, you're bleeding!" Heather responded and Sadie touched the back of her neck. It turned out that the human managed to hit her head and back. She scrambled for some cobwebs and quickly applied them to the damaged areas.

"See?" Verne asked everyone. "That's what I was talking about! These humans don't want us around!"

"So we startled her and she overreacted." RJ shrugged it off. "No biggie!"

"No biggie?" Verne said incredulously. "Oh, that is what we call a biggie!"

"It was worth it for that food, though!" RJ replied. "That stuff is to die for!"

Sadie managed a very weak laugh as Ozzie fainted. Heather rolled her eyes.

"Let me rephrase that." RJ flinched.

"No, to die for." Verne snapped. "You got that part right. Look, maybe our little forest life looks primitive to a guy with a bag. However, I think I speak for the whole family when I say we want nothing to do with anything that's over that hedge!"

"Oh, come on!" RJ yelled as the group began to head towards the log. "You haven't even tried doughnuts yet!"

"Idiot..." Sadie rolled her eyes and Ozzie slipped his arm around her. He began to help her towards the log, and that gave RJ a full view of her bloodied back. They headed into the log and Sadie quickly laid down on a bit of leaves. Heather snuggled up in front of her and they passed a goodnight to their friends. Once it was quiet, she heard Heather say something.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Why?" Sadie asked and tried to stretch without hurting herself. "You did nothing terrible to deserve that."

"B-But..." Heather muttered and Sadie wrapped an arm around her.

"Don't worry about it." She said softly into her friend's ear. After that, they drifted off into a deep sleep.

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So, after a little bit of drama you get a little bit of fluff. Was it good? I think I wrote it pretty well, if I do say so myself. xD


	3. Chapter 3

By the time morning rolled around, they went back to try and scavenge what they could from the forest. Sadie was forced to take a break every few minutes because Penny noticed that she was having trouble walking. Her legs were fine, but her back was so sore that it was almost numb. When she did get a change to scavenge, she normally only got a few berries or some twigs. Verne grabbed some bark and took a bite from it.

"Okay, this is great." He said with a smile as he chewed the bark. "Granted, it takes some time to chew. But that was very satisfying and there's lots of fiber in there too."

"That does look tasty." They turned when they heard a familiar voice. Sadie smiled when RJ came into view.

"What are you doing here?" Verne narrowed his eyes.

"I'm here to help you with your foraging thing!" RJ smiled and then it faltered. "Verne, you said a word yesterday that started with an 'f'. What was it?"

"Family?" Verne said.

"Right, that..." He gently hit his chest. "That got me right here. I used to have all that. My own place...surrounded by loved ones...universal remote. But all that went away with..with the weed hacker incident."

"Oh, come here!" Hammy ran up and hugged him. Sadie walked over to him and touched his shoulder with a sympathetic smile. He returned the smile and continued to sob.

"Jeepers, Verne." Penny glared at him.

"We could always use the extra hand," Lou said. "With Sadie hurt and all."

"The weed hacker Verne!" Hammy exclaimed as RJ removed his arms.

"I'll be going...not your problem..." RJ sighed and walked to his bag. "Here I am...going. Sure I'll see you around the forest. Take care."

"Alright.." Verne muttered when Sadie gave him a glare. "Alright. RJ? You can stay."

"Whoo!" He yelled and barreled into the turtle. "I knew behind this crispy outside, there was a soft, nougat-y center in there! Do you mind if I call you 'Uncle Vern'?"

"With every bone in my body." He peeked out of his shell.

"Great!" He exclaimed and then turned towards everyone. "May I work with Hammy?"

"Yeah." Sadie smiled and he grabbed Hammy by the arm. When they left, Sadie gave Verne another glare but it went unnoticed.

"I'm gonna make sure they're okay." Verne muttered and walked through the hedge. When he was gone, they all looked at each other. Heather nudged Sadie and pulled her inside the hedge.

"What's with those gooey looks you keep giving RJ?" She taunted and Sadie's ear fell forward.

"What gooey looks?" She asked.

"Don't be stupid!" Heather grinned. "You like him, don't you?!"

"I haven't even talked to him!" Sadie's voice went up an octave and she winced. It always went up when she was embarrassed or nervous. Heather pointed at her.

"Aha!" She cheered. "You do!"

"Shh!" Sadie motioned for her to be quiet. "Alright, I do. Now will you leave me alone about that! Also, don't tell anyone! Promise?"

"Promise!" Heather made a zipper sign over her lips. Just then, cheering came from the others. The girls went back through the hedge and saw RJ and Hammy sitting on some boxes. They scampered over to them and RJ smiled down at Sadie.

"Want one?" He held something round out to her.

"Sure." She took it and smelled it. Mint. When she took a bite, it practically melted in her mouth. "What is that?"

"Thin Mints!" He cheered and put one into his mouth himself. "That's right, don't push! Plenty for everybody! Got a box right over here for you, Penny."

"Jeepers!" She cried. "Kids, eat up. Anything this good has to be healthy!"

"Feel that buzz in the back of your skull?" He asked her.

"Yeah!" She responded.

"That's called a sugar rush." RJ said. "That's what keeps the humans going and it's also why they don't hibernate. Top it off with a little of this..and you'll have what normally takes you all summer, will only take us a week!"

Sadie watched as the kids drank some of the contents of the can and began to bounce around. Heather smiled. RJ just barely managed to stop Hammy from taking a drink of the liquid.

"Woah!" He laughed. "The last thing you need is caffeine!"

"That would end badly." Sadie giggled softly.

"Dig in, my friends!" RJ grinned. "This is only the beginning!"

As the weeks went by, they collected so many different foods and toys. Heather and Sadie both scared themselves by using an Walkman for the first time. It was up super loud and they pressed play. After they figured out how to work it, however, they jammed to Avril Lavigne and Tim McGraw. It didn't take them long to learn all the lyrics. When they weren't fooling around and dancing, Sadie was talking to RJ.

They began to get closer as the week went by, often stopping to talk with each other or pass congratulations on a good trip into the neighborhood. When RJ found a camera and managed to get it working, they took turns taking pictures of their friends and themselves. Sadie's favorite was one of her and RJ balancing on a skateboard. A few times, he actually managed to get her to play a prank on someone. She knew that she was becoming a bit more open because of him. Even on a big heist, she was feeling courageous enough to go.

When they heard Ozzie get 'hit' by the car, she poked her head out from a bush. The group ran out and climbed onto the roof of the car. They were going to steal the cooler. For a moment, however, they stopped when one of the young humans went back towards the car. RJ mouthed the words, 'Improvise' and Ozzie did just that.

"Lights fading, limbs growing cold!" He began to roll on the pavement. "I see a tunnel...Mother! is that you? Beckoning me towards the light? Must...move...toward the light!

"You went too far!" Verne's voice made Sadie turn. The others managed to unhook the bungee cords. "Let's get out of here and leave this-"

He was cut off by the cooler being shoved off the roof and on top of him.

"Nice catch, Verne." RJ laughed and the others jumped down. The began to carry it towards the hedge, but it slammed into the curb and its contents fell out. A large vehicle sped down the street towards them and they leaped behind the cooler. Hopefully, no one would see them. Sadie couldn't ignore the bad feeling in her stomach. As another human got out of the vehicle, they began to collect the fruits and nuts that had spilled out. RJ grabbed a can of nuts.

"Leave it!" Verne hissed and they turned back to Ozzie, who was lying in the middle of the crowd.

"What do we have here?" The man spoke. "Didelphis marsupialis virginianus. Approximately ten pounds. Male."

"I think he's dead." The woman with black hair said.

"Oh really?" The man rolled his eyes. "Do you in fact have a degree from Verm-tech? I think he wants you to think he's dead!"

As they fought, they others managed to get the cooler over the curb and through the hedge. RJ and Sadie stopped. RJ gave Ozzie the code and Ozzie winked to show that he saw it. RJ disappeared into the hedge, but Sadie stayed behind the watch the rest. She was slightly intrigued to see what would happen next. Suddenly, he popped up and ran towards her.

"Thank you all for coming!" He cried out. "You've been a great audience!"

"Come on!" Sadie hollered and dove through the bushes, Ozzie came right behind her.

"That's what I call a super-duper performance!" Lou exclaimed and patted his arm.

"They were riveted man!" RJ congratulated. "You were awesome!"

"Dad!" Heather touched his side. "I just gotta say that was...that was pretty cool."

"Props for the Oz-man!" One of the porcupine kids cheered, which made the others follow suit.

"But let's not forget our brilliant leadership!" Ozzie smiled. "RJ!"

"RJ!" Sadie cried along with them and laughed. RJ passed her a genuinely happily smile and she returned it.

"Hey, come over here." Heather said. "We wanna show you something."

"Alright." He nodded and followed them. He walked beside Sadie, however. She felt so happy to be this close to him for once. As they walked she couldn't help but lean on him a bit. He never leaned away. She covered his eyes when they got near to the surprise, and removed her hands when they got there.

"Check it out!" Stella gave him a wink and he stepped forward to see his new home.

"We got a place for you right here!" Hammy patted a booster seat and RJ sat down, awed with his surroundings.

"Is this anything like what you had?" Lou asked and RJ smiled.

"This is nothing like what I had." He replied and Heather handed him the remote.

"Here," She laughed. "Take the remote before my dad does."

"This is nice guys." He nodded. "Really nice."

RJ clicked the TV on with a smile.

**"We return to, A Scoundrel Among Us." **

**"You should be ashamed of yourself! We let you into you into our home and you deceived us."**

He quickly changed the channel.

**"I gave you my heart and you ripped it into a million pieces." **

Sadie never noticed the sideways, forlorn glance he gave her before changing the channel again.

**"Get real, Kevin! 'Cause when you feel like a dirt-bag, it's because your a dirt-bag. Right? So just own it and say it. 'I am a dirt-bag!'" **

"Dirt-bag?" Lou said. "I don't think that guy's real doctor. What do you think, RJ?"

As the others wondered where their male raccoon friend had wandered off to, Sadie followed the direction he was headed in and eventually found him. He was hyperventilating into a bag. Then, she noticed that the log was completely empty. She gasped.

"Where's the food?!" They both chorused and looked around. They popped through the bushes to see Verne with the little red wagon full of the food.

"What are you doing?!" Sadie questioned and Verne slowed to a halt.

"Putting things back to the way they were." He said simply.

"How about I just leave?" RJ suggested.

"Good." Verne said. "Then I take all the food back to the rightful owners."

"Why?" Sadie asked, rather shocked at Verne's actions.

"Because we've angered the humans!" He gestured to the bunny being repetitively whacked over the head with a mallet. "I don't want to end up like that bunny. Hence, I'm giving everything back so they won't kill us."

"Verne, you don't understand!" RJ stopped the wagon from moving yet again. "We need this stuff."

"No, we don't!" He growled and pulled the wagon. During their game of tug-o'-wagon, they unhinged a chain that was staked into the ground. Sadie grabbed it and followed it to the source. RJ noticed too because he tried to get Verne to be quiet.

"No!" He exclaimed. "I'm not falling for anymore of your smooth talk! I don't know what you're up to, but my entire shell is tingling. You know what? I'm listening to it this time and I'm putting my foot down!"

When a tiny squeak erupted from a toy beneath Verne's foot, a rather large dog appeared and tilted his head toward them. Sadie gasped as it crouched down and was still much bigger than them. Verne moved his foot and stepped back.

"Play?"

* * *

Cliffhanger! :D Next chapter will be out tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Play?" _

"Come on!" RJ whispered and harshly grabbed Sadie by the arm. He dragged her out of the way as the Rotweiler charged forward.

"Play!" He cried again and RJ shoved her under a pink porch swing.

"Stay there." He instructed and then ran over to the scene. Verne was being harshly shook around by the dog. As he grabbed a doll to protect himself, its string got caught on a stick.

**"Let's play!" The doll said. **

The dog dropped Verne and Sadie ran out from her cover. She hurried over to assist him, but they both got flung onto the food wagon. RJ leaped over fences and looked back at them with wide eyes.

"Good idea, Verne!" RJ cried. "Save the food and I'll loose the dog!"

The dog crashed through fences like a tank and Sadie kept a tight grip on the top of the food pile.

"You're droppin' all the food!" RJ picked up a soda as he ran. "Catch!"

Sadie missed it and Verne got hit in the head with it.

"Are you hungry?" RJ asked the dog frantically. "Look! Food!"

The man they were charging at screamed and was knocked over by the dog.

"Look!" RJ yelled. "People! Play with them!"

They charged through another fence and Sadie's head collided with the tower of food. They suddenly went up a slide and rocketed into the air. Sadie didn't seem to care at the moment because her head was rather sore. Suddenly, an umbrella popped open and she felt Verne's paw holding hers. She quickly grabbed the pole of the umbrella and clung on. They watched as all the food they collected before was incinerated along with a car. The lady down below, was the black haired woman she had seen before.

Suddenly, a few things shot up and ripped holes in the umbrella. The three started blowing on it, only to have the entire thing incinerate before them. They plummeted to the ground and they all crashed down in front of their friends. Sadie managed to roll out of the way as the wagon and cooler came down on top of Verne.

"The food..." RJ gasped. "The food...it's..."

"It's all gone!" Sadie growled and stood up.

"Gone?!" Heather and Stella chorused.

"How?" Ozzie asked.

"Ask him!" RJ whined and pointed to Verne.

"I returned it," Verne said. "To its rightful owner."

"WHAT?" Lou and Ozzie said and dropped Verne on his back again.

"We, like, worked our tails off, you know?" Sadie watched Heather stomp around, furious. "Like, a lot! The food we gathered was totally...You know! And you're all like, whatever!"

"Yeah, Verne!" Ozzie gaped at his friend. "What were you thinking?! The log was full!"

"Full of junk!" Verne countered.

"So, what are you saying?" Lou asked. "The food we gather our way isn't as good as the food we gather your way?"

"Your way?" Verne snorted. "You mean his way! Can't you say that RJ is just using you?!"

"Verne!" Penny gasped. "Shame on you! RJ wouldn't do that!"

"You have to trust me on this!" Verne replied. "Can't you see that there's something wrong with him?!"

"There is nothing wrong with him!" Sadie spat, her brokenhearted voice catching a glance from RJ. She was looking at the ground and crying. This sight only made him feel much worse.

"My tail tingles every time I get near him!" Verne looked at her.

"So, what?" Stella countered and wrapped an arm around Sadie's shoulder. "We're supposed to go hungry because your butt's vibrating? I'm starting to think that little tingle is because you're jealous!"

"Jealous?" Verne asked. "Of him?"

"Yeah." Lou nodded. "He's the one embracing the future and you're just trying to hold us back!"

"I hold you back alright!" Verne replied. "From extinction!"

"Verne!" Sadie choked through her tears.

"If they listened to half the stuff you're telling them," Verne went up to RJ. "They'll be dead in a week! You are only interested in taking advantage of them because they are to stupid and naive to know any better!"

"I'm not stupid." Sadie looked up to see that the tiny voice came from Hammy. She walked over to him and gently pulled him backwards into her chest like a mother would. She gave Verne the coldest glare she could manage.

"Okay, I didn't mean..." He muttered. "I meant ignorant."

"You're only causing more harm than good!" Sadie snapped, beginning to cry again. She felt Hammy turn into her and snuggle into her stomach. He was shaking.

"To the ways over there." He pointed to the hedge. "Come on you guys. You know I didn't mean it like that. Stella. Ozzie?"

He reached out to Hammy, only to have his hands shoved away by Sadie. The fur on her neck was raised in a deadly fashion, letting Verne know that he wasn't welcome to touch him.

"Hammy, you know I didn't mean it like that." He whispered.

"I'm not stupid." He only repeated his phrase and Sadie let him walk with the others. She turned and grabbed RJ's hand, pulling him along behind her. He hesitated but followed her. She looked completely devastated. When she tried to let go of his hand, he held it tighter, which made her give him the smallest of smiles. From Verne's point of view, Hammy, Sadie and RJ walked hand in hand like two parents and their child. When they made it to RJ's place, they settled down to sleep.

"Goodnight Uncle RJ." One of the triplets said and RJ managed to smile for him.

"Goodnight, kiddo." He responded and watched as they cuddled up to each other. He stopped and glanced at the sky and the brilliant full moon overhead.

"Sleep, RJ." He turned to see Sadie laying on his chair. "You need it."

"I'm going to take a walk." He murmured and walked away. She watched him leave and curled up, using her tail as a pillow.

She couldn't sleep. That was not the Verne who saved her when she was younger. Or was it? Questions bubbled around in her head like soda bubbles. She couldn't even think because of her questions. Tears sprung to her eyes when she saw Hammy curled up beside Heather. She had never heard him so calm and so depressed when he spoke before. It hurt her and everyone else. She got up when she noticed everyone else standing up. It was Verne and RJ.

"I mean...it's hard to sum it all up in one word." RJ was trying to help him with something.

"I'm sorry." Verne looked at them with sad eyes.

"Oh, come here!" Hammy ran at him and hugged him. Sadie joined their hug with a smile. It wasn't a grand apology, but she'd take it.

"Okay!" RJ said. "Stay in the huddle. Here's our plan."

He brought out a little layout of a backyard and began to point traps out.

"Traps are set here, here, here, here," He said. "Here, here, here, here and here. There's a big one here. Here, here and here."

"Is that all?" Stella asked in a sarcastic tone.

"No, there are red lights everywhere." He replied. "You okay, Verne? You're looking a little green."

"No, I get it." He whimpered. "Traps, lights and I might need to change my shell..."

"Okay." RJ tossed some metal figurines on the board. "This is us."

"I'm the car!" One of the triplets said.

"No, I wanna be the car." Another one said. "You be the shoe."

"The shoe is lame!" One said.

"How about you be that snazzy lookin' iron, there?" Lou hugged one of his sons to his side.

"Hey, it's not important!" RJ snapped. "Besides, I'm the car. I'm always the car. Now, the plan works in three simple steps. Number one, kill the lights. Step two, get inside and step three, get out with mountain of food!"

"But this place is like a fortress," Ozzie said. "Walls so high and doors so impenitrable...how do we get in?"

"The collar is the key." He flipped open a phone and showed the fluffy cat from a few days before. "Literally, the collar. It acts like a key that opens the door if-"

"Are we just expecting him to hand his collar over to you?" Stella injected.

"Not to me, my femme fatale, to you." He walked over to her.

"Me?" Stella touched her chest as if she didn't hear him right.

"Yes. I want you to get that collar by using your-" He started.

"My stink." She interrupted.

"Your feminine charms." He almost purred. Suddenly, a loud laugh came from Hammy and he covered his mouth quickly.

"Look raccoon," She said and grabbed a disk. "Maybe that mask you're wearin' is obstructin' your veiw, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm a skunk."

"On the outside, maybe." He said and grabbed her shoulders. "But I'm looking inside, and inside, I see a fox. All we gotta do is get her out."

Not a moment later were they crowded over Stella.

"Scissors!" RJ began to cut away at her fur.

"Charcoal!" Penny ordered and dumped a bucket of it over their friend.

"Tomato juice and air freshener!" RJ ordered.

"Cork." Verne said and Sadie looked away. They turned when they heard a rapid beeping and it turned out to be the triplets playing on a game.

"One more thing..." RJ pulled a white strand of fur out and then backed up. "Stop. Ladies and gentleman, our work here is done."

"Oh my..." Sadie whispered as Stella stood up. Her coat was a branded black and she was void of all white markings. Her emerald eyes shown brightly.

"She's all like...wow!" Heather smiled and clasped her hands together. RJ held up a mirror and Stella looked at herself. Then, she shook her tail.

"Meow." She smiled.

"Alright gang, this is it." RJ said proudly. "We're going in!"


	5. Chapter 5

A few minutes later, they were all waiting under the tree that Hammy and RJ were in. Something bubbled in the pit of Sadie's stomach. She couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited. Maybe both. Heather gave her a confident smile and Sadie did her best to return it. Either this would go well or terribly and Sadie really hoped for the first option.

"Alright!" RJ peeked down from the branch. "Onto step two!"

"I thought we'd be dead by step two, so this is great!" Verne said and they headed out and onto the lawn. They hid behind a bush and shoved Stella forward.

"Cue sound effects." RJ said and they spun the sound maker. Instead of a meow, it was a moo. Sadie saw the cat pop up in the window.

"Hope he likes a cow!" She whispered and they went silent as the tom cat came out.

"Who goes there?" He growled.

"You're a cat!" Sadie whispered silently to her.

"You're a cat!" She said and Sadie grimaced. "I mean, uh, I'm a cat! Meow!"

"Uh-huh." He spoke with cockiness in every word. "Yeah, now shoo. Go on. Get away from here. My owner does not give scraps to common strays."

"Common stray?" She swung her head back. "Alright, you asked for it."

"Get the collar!" RJ hissed and Stella turned back around.

"Gee, that's a nice collar you got on." She said. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Come no closer!" He spat. "I must not be so close to a creature of the outdoor woods. Tch! Away with your filth!"

"My filth?" She asked and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh no..." Penny whispered.

"My filth?" She repeated. "Okay, I am sick and tired of everyone taking one look at me and then runnin' away 'cause they think I'm filthy. I didn't get primped and preened to have some over-fed, pompous puffball tell me how I look. I got makeup on my butt, dude! You don't even wanna know about the cork!"

"Stop!" The tom growled. "No one has ever spoken to me like that!"

Everyone held their breath.

"It is bold..." He muttered and then his ears perked up. "I like it."

Verne, RJ and Sadie gave each other a weird look and then smiled. Stella shook her head and then smiled at him.

"Well, there's more where that came from...puffball!" She laughed and gestured for the others. They ran towards the door and then stopped.

"This is the part where I blacked out." Verne admitted. "Do the little cars and shoes get into the house?"

Suddenly, the collar came flying through the air and landed around Verne's neck. The little light made a 'ding' sound and turned green. They slipped inside quickly.

"Woah." RJ said.

"This place is huge." Sadie smiled.

"Animals are in the house." RJ whispered and slid over to a tall, silver thing. He threw the doors open to reveal it was stocked with food. Maybe even more food than the log.

"Alright, stations everybody!" He ordered.

"You got it!" Sadie nodded and they all split off. She scampered outside and checked off the items on RJ's list. it was a simple and quick job, which made her happy. Maybe nothing would go wrong after all. Soon, it was dawn and everything had been accounted for. She leaped through the hole and went over to Verne just in time to hear something beep.

"What is that?" Verne asked.

"That's what gets the humans up in the morning." RJ said and Sadie spotted the woman coming down the stairs.

"Get down and stay down!" Sadie hissed loud enough for everyone to hear. They scrambled around the counter as she grabbed something and filled it with blackish liquid. She headed back upstairs.

"Come on!" Verne whispered. "We have to go before she comes back!"

"No." RJ said suddenly. "Not without those Spuddies! Penny, Lou, back to the TV. Heather, keep an eye on that human!"

"You got it!" She smiled and rushed off to where the lady went. Ozzie followed her with a unnerved look. RJ began to climb the shelf and they watched as he tripped over himself and his words.

"Just bear with me!" RJ laughed nervously. "That's what I meant to say."

A sudden shriek from the woman alerted Sadie.

"We need to hurry!" She yelped. "RJ! Get down from there!"

"Hey, listen!" RJ finally snapped. "I've got about this long to get enough food to give to a homicidal bear!"

Sadie gasped and her eyes widened in shock. Verne was right. He was using them.

"If these Spuddies aren't on my list, I will be! Now let go of my tail!" He hissed and kicked Verne's hand. He continued to reach for the can, then, he slipped. Verne fell as well, taking one of the bottles down with him. After a flurry of smashing and yelling, the woman came back downstairs. Suddenly, the room was filled with a terrible smelling gas. It must have been Stella! Sadie caught a glimpse of RJ rushing out of the door.

"To the door!" Verne cried. "Go, go, go!"

They were stopped by the woman who appeared to be retching into a can. They tried to go another way, but the exterminator man burst in through the other door. He was holding a long thing in his hands and had a mask on his face. During the chaos, he yelled something, but Sadie didn't hear what it was. He fired off the gun and they turned to leave. Then, they slammed into glass. She fell and caught the blurred image of a net rushing at her. That was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

* * *

This fanfiction is actually nearing its end already. OnO


	6. Chapter 6

She woke up to being thrown into a tiny silver cage. It was barely big enough for herself. She curled up and blocked her face with her tail. She looked over to see Verne in a cage right next to hers. The man who caught them leaned down so he could look Verne straight in the eyes. She closed her own.

"You've just been Verminated." He slapped the cage and the woman stalked up to them. "Whoo. You stink."

"That's because you let them into my...house!" She let out an excruciatingly annoying whine and Sadie stood on all fours to face the woman.

"Hey Nancy, stop your honkin'." He grunted. "These guys will be disposed of quickly and humanely."

"No." She growled and grabbed the bars of Sadie's cage. "As inhumanely as possible."

"Do me a favor and kill yourself." Sadie snarled and bit her. The woman screamed and pulled away with a bleeding finger.

"You'll need a rabies shot after that!" The man called to the retreating woman. He tilted the cages back and wheeled them towards his truck. Sadie buried her face in her tail to muffle her sobs.

_This is it... _She thought. _No more seeing the woods or having fun with Heather. _

"I don't wanna die dad." Heather's voice was soft and almost creaky. "Not for real."

"There, there, sweetheart." Ozzie tried to comfort his daughter. "We'll be okay."

"You were right about him, Verne." Lou apologized. "We should have listened."

"No." Verne sighed. "I knew we couldn't trust him and I got us into this. I should have known better."

As their cages were being loaded, Sadie saw RJ and a bear watching them from a hill. The bear must have been Vincent. She looked up and gave him a tiny wave, however, without a smile. She looked away as she was loaded into the truck. She was done trusting anyone. As the truck started driving, she felt a hand on her tail. She glanced up to see Ozzie gently patting it. It was a comforting feeling in a time like they were having.

In a sudden and quick blur, the cages went flying and the vehicle swung to a stop. She was the first to scramble to the dashboard and see RJ laying on the window. She couldn't help but smile and he noticed the tears in her eyes. He gently put his paw on the window and she did the same. Stella shoved Sadie over and growled at the window.

"You sorry sack of rat dung!" She cursed at him. "I'm gonna gas you so hard that your grandchildren will stink!"

"Bear!" Verne pointed to the glass. After repeating it several times, a grizzly bear came at him. Verne fell down onto the unconscious exterminator's knee, which hit the gas. The truck began to drive at top speed.

"We're outta control!" Verne yelled.

"We can drive!" One of the possum triplets yelled. "It's just like Auto-Homicide Three!"

"What?" He gasped as they leaped onto the steering wheel. The all ran in one direction, which straightened out their driving. Sadie saw RJ leap onto the rear view mirror.

"Let me in!" He hollered and she tapped at a button.

"Wrong button!" She yelled and he almost got eaten by the bear. Verne flew into a little screen and it turned on.

**Please select your destination. **

"Take us home!" Hammy screamed. "Take us to the log!"

**Previous destination selected. Make a legal U-Turn. **

"We got it!" The triplets replied and quickly ran on the steering wheel. The truck whipped around and they headed down the road at an insane speed. Suddenly, the window was smashed and RJ leaped inside. The adults caught him and then flung him out the other window again.

"Ozzie!" Sadie gasped and he shoved her back.

"No, you ring-tailed charlatan!" He said boldly and rolled the window up.

"He's just trying to help us!" Verne cried out. "Let him in!"

"After what he did to us?" Stella tilted her head and glared at him.

"But Verne," Ozzie said. "You're the one always telling us to trust your tail!"

"It's not tingling!" Verne growled and they all nodded. They rolled the window down and RJ quickly got in. He nodded to Ozzie and leaped down. Suddenly, the metal roof was torn upwards.

"You're dead RJ!" Vincent snarled.

"Duck!" Sadie called as he swiped at them.

"Your friends are next!" He bared his teeth and Penny leaped in front of everyone. Quills shot from his back and hit him in the nose. He let out a roar of pain.

"Bonus points!" A triplet shouted and they ran into some balloons. The ropes wrapped around Vincent and pulled him off the roof. Sadie grinned and nodded to the kids. Without warning, the truck was in the air and twisting. Sadie grabbed onto the bottom of the steering wheel with a death grip. They smashed into the house and landed upside down. They all groaned.

"Huh?" The exterminator woke up and they bolted out of the truck and down onto the grass. The didn't even bother hesitating to barrel through the hedge.

"Lou? Penny?" RJ looked around. "Sadie? We all here? Hammy?"

"Scary clown." Sadie turned to see Vincent drifting down with the balloons. Sadie gasped and backed up, while RJ stood in front of them. He snarled and they all dove into the hedge once more. On the other side however, awaited the woman with a weed hacker and the exterminator with a electrical pole. They ended up in a frenzy inside the bush. Everyone was yelling and Vincent was roaring loudly, which confused Sadie. Suddenly, she was jolted with electricity. She collapsed and fell off of a branch. Not a moment later was RJ shaking her awake.

"Sadie!" He called and she sat up. "Stay safe!"

"I'll try.." She whispered weakly and he climbed up a branch.

"I'm done." He snapped. "Verne, get everyone out of here and I'll distract Vincent! Take care of the family!"

"I intend to!" He yelled back. "The whole family! There has to be something we can do!"

"We don't have much time!" RJ hollered.

"Hammy!" Sadie cried and pointed to the reddish squirrel. It didn't take them long to catch on.

The next thing that Sadie could remember, she was climbing onto the top of the hedge. She heard a broad beeping and then saw something pop up. RJ nudged her and handed her a bucket. She smiled and put it over her body. Suddenly, a scream erupted from the woman and Vincent roared with pain. A blinding light flashed and a moment later, it disappeared. As everyone erupted into cheers, she removed the bucket and looked to RJ and Verne.

"Verne," RJ grinned. "Don't you ever fix this shell!"

"Glad it's working for you." Verne gave him a smile that turned into a glare. "Take it off. Give it back."

They all leaped down and continued to celebrate. RJ smiled as he saw everyone dancing and then froze when he saw Sadie. He had to admit that he never noticed how pretty she was until then. Her light gray body shimmered in the sun and he caught a glance of her other eye. It was a very pretty, sky blue. Her tail was slim but bushy. She turned to him and smiled. His ears flattened with embarrassment of being caught staring.

"Stella!" Suddenly, the tom cat from before rushed through the hedge. "So this is the outdoor woods? I like it."

"Come on, big boy, you're coming with me!" Stella dragged him off.

"Hey RJ, just for the record," Verne approached him. "If you would have told us that all the food was to pay off a hungry bear, we would have given it to you."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's what families do." Verne answered and Sadie walked over to them.

"I've never had anything like that..." He whispered and Sadie placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know." Verne responded. "But believe me...this, is the gateway to the good life."

"Wish you would have told me that sooner." He joked dryly.

"That's called bad communication." Sadie laughed. "That's also something families do. So, do you want to be a part of it?"

It took him a moment, but he soon dropped his bag onto the ground. Sadie suddenly enveloped him in a hug. He froze and then tears sprang to his eyes. He quickly tightened the hug himself and everybody cheered.

"Welcome to the family!" Ozzie said loudly.

"What a first week of spring, huh?" Verne laughed and then gasped. "That means we only have two hundred and sixty-seven days left until winter! What are we gonna do for food?"

"Verne!" Hammy's hand shot up into the air.

"Yes, Hammy?" RJ pointed to the squirrel.

"I filled the log!" He pointed to the log which was filled with nuts. Everyone gasped and looked at him incredulously. Then, Sadie and RJ laughed.

"Indeed you have, Hammy." Sadie responded and felt RJ hold her hand.

* * *

That's it! I hope you guys enjoyed and if you want, there might be a sequel. All the more reason to favorite me, right? ;D


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